B453 Developing Skills, and techniques, motivation

Trial and error is changing your technique each time to create something that can be done successfully multiple of times. Trial and error could also be performing a skill repeatedly and being rewarded when achieved, this gives encouragement and makes the athlete want to try another skill.

Practical Example: To try a back-hand volley in tennis and to learn form your mistakes when playing the shot.

Practice and rehearsal is when you  learn a skill and practice it over and over again, until it makes sense, to perfect the skill, and to be able to do the skill without thinking.

Practical Example: to repeatedly practice your shooting in basketball.

Copying others can be known as observational learning. Observational learning is watching  a professional athlete do a specific movement or technique and copying it. You could do this by recording the athletes movement or technique on TV and then record yourself on a camera and compare them. Or you could remember the role models image in your mind and visualize themselves performing it. The performer must be physically able to do the skill if they are able to do it correctly and once they have performed it, it is important that the coach gives them feedback to keep them motivated and to make them want to learn more skills in an observational way.

Practical Examples:

You copy Paula Radcliffe’s running technique because you are interested in running a marathon.

Watching Andy Murray’s first and second serve to perfect your serve.

Information received by the athlete as a direct result of producing a movement through the kinaesthetic senses - feelings from muscles, joints and balance. This feedback comes from within you and is about how performing a physical activity or movement makes you feel

Practical example: enjoying going for a jog can encourage you to want to repeat that activity.

External feedback from performance, is information about your end result that isn’t from you. Normally comments from a coach, instructor PE teacher etc.

Practical Example: your teacher praises your attempt at passing in hockey which encourages you to continue trying.

Information about the technique and performance. This can be provided verbally from the coach or visually from a video. This enables the athlete to compare their technique with famous athletes and to see where or what they are doing wrong.

Practical Examples:

an analysis of sprinter's action from coach

your coach in trampolining might give you information about your somersault technique which might encourage you to work on perfecting this in the future.

Information with regards to the result of the athlete's performance usually the end result of a competition.

Practical Example: the coach telling the sprinter their 100 metre time after the race.

Used to inform the athlete as to what was correct about the movement. Athletes need to know if a movement is correct as this provides the reference point for future execution of the movement. Positive feedback is essential in motivating athletes and is information given on a successful performance.

Eg. An athlete breaks their target time of 2:20 minutes for 800m.

Used to inform the athlete as to what was incorrect about the movement. Negative feedback must include information on the actions required by the athlete to achieve the correct movement, this is information given about an unsuccessful outcome.

Practical Example: a runner went off too quickly in a race and didn’t receive their target time of 5:15 in 1500m.

Information provided to the athlete before or after the performance.

Practical Example: a coach comes and tells the athlete how to run the race on the start line, the coach then gives the athlete feedback about how well they ran the race, and if they took on board the coaches feedback before the race.

Information provided to the athlete during the performance.

Practical Example: A coach tells the athelte after 600m that they are not going to win this 800m race so they stay behind the person that is winning to gain second place.

Internal motivation, is fun, enjoyment or satisfaction gained from participating in competitions and physical activity.

• Feeling a sense of enjoyment when you are jogging might motivate you to want to go for another jog.

External motivation, is when you want to win competitions, awards or prize money gained from participating in competitions.

• Winning a race and receiving a gold medal may motivate you to want to race again

Intrinsic motivation

enjoying umpiring a cricket game might encourage you to do it again

Extrinsic Motivation

Getting paid for being a referee at a football match might encourage you to do it again.

Intrinsic motivation

Coaching at an athletics club for free because you enjoy it and feel like you are making a difference to young athletes, this may inspire you to coach at more athletics clubs.

Extrinsic motivation

receiving an award for good coaching might encourage you to take a coaching qualification.

Intrinsic motivation

competing  in a race gives you a sense of enjoyment and you feel pleased with the fact that you completed it, this may encourage you to want to race again.

Extrinsic Motivation

Competing  in a race and getting a medal for coming second place, may encourage you to train harder to get a gold medal next time.

1. to optimise performance-to focus your training on a set goal e.g. to set a target to score 20 goals in a season to improve your performance in football.

2. To ensure exercise adherence-to ensure that you are sticking to an exercise programme. e.g. to set a goal for improved flexibility to help you stick to your training programme

3. To control anxiety-to be mentally prepared for physical activity, so you can cope with the pressure of competition. e.g. to focus on a set goal to finish a race in a certain time to help you cope with pressure of competition

• Specific - What exactly are you trying to achieve? A starting point, a goal in mind,  a goal which is specific and achievable, eg. my goal is to run continuously for 1000m my goal is to swim continuously for 5 minutes.
• Measurable - Goals need to be measurable so you know when you’ve achieved them, eg. I want to knock 1 second of my 400m time, I want to improve my cooper run score by 1 lap, I want to increase the amount of press-ups I do in one minute.
• Achievable (or agreed) You need to make sure your targets are set at the right level of difficulty eg. I want to run the London marathon by next year, I want to  be able to swim 1000m in 30mins with 8 weeks training, my goal is to run 1 extra lap per month on the copper run test. e.g. To set a beginner an exercise programme that can result in success such as walking for a mile before jogging a mile
• Realistic (or recorded) -Set your targets as something that you can realistically do, I want to be able to get to the top of school climbing wall using the most difficult route.
• Time-phrased/bound  e.g.- you give yourself a deadline of when you want to complete your goal the time has to be specific (short-term and long-term) By the end of the athletics season I am aiming to knock one second off my 100m PB.